Arduino Equips Teachers and Empowers Students with Launch of Snap4Arduino

Published on May 19, 2017

Maker Faire Bay Area 2017, San Mateo, CA, May 19, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Arduino, leading open-source ecosystem for Education, Maker and Internet of Things (IoT) markets, announced the official release of Snap4Arduino, an open source blocks-based coding platform that works with most Arduino hardware. Using Snap4Arduino, kindergarten through college-aged students new to coding can simply drag-and-drop code “blocks” to develop programs – and trigger physical systems – from a computer, laptop, embedded device, Chromebook, or Android tablet. Some ideas for projects include a mechatronic teddy bear, a drawing robot, a Bluetooth controlled car, an ultrasound ruler, and more.

“With this type of simple, yet sophisticated, educational coding tool, open and affordable hardware, and other democratization tools to promote entrepreneurialism, the creativity and opportunity for development success becomes endless,” said Arduino CEO, Federico Musto. “If kids start to use these tools as early as elementary school, it will become engrained, ultimately and effectively creating a new education system that promotes growth in our new economy. We look forward to working with schools all around the world to gain interest in Snap4Arduino.”

Snap4Arduino is being developed on top of the Snap! programming environment, inspired by Scratch. Using interactive live coding and parallel programming models, which fit electronics and robotics perfectly, Snap4Arduino gives developers the ability to compose projects out of simple, independent, “when this do that” like snippets. Behind its simple, inviting appearance, there are several high-level programming constructs, such as heterogeneous first class lists, custom blocks, and first class continuations. Snap4Arduino eliminates ceilings, giving coders the ability to learn about computer science, mathematics, and programming at their own pace and in a non-intimidating way.

Snap4Arduino allows developers to work with Arduino hardware, offering an intuitive entry to electronics, and provides a way for them to seamlessly mix virtual and physical worlds, without having to give up the possibilities of computer science.

The Snap! project has been in development since 2013, when it began as a prototype at the Citilab, Barcelona. With the help of several contributors, Snap4Arduino has become a leading educational tool to teach programming and electronics in a playful, interactive way. It is being used by schools, maker spaces, artists, and hobbyists around the globe.

Visit Arduino’s booth in Zone 3 to see a hands-on demonstration by the author of Snap4Arduino, Bernat Romagosa. “The things that can be built and improved upon using Snap4Arduino are truly endless, and only limited by the imagination,” said Bernat. “Hundreds of thousands of people already use Arduino hardware and the IDE. Snap4Arduino brings a whole new level of simplicity and functionality, and accelerates the education in STEM so that kids can get involved at a younger age, making coding and open source a natural part of the classroom.”

About ArduinoArduino is the world’s leading open-source software and hardware ecosystem. The Company offers IoT developers and Makers of all ages the ability to build smart, connected and interactive devices using affordable technologies. Check us out at www.arduino.org and www.arduino.cc.